30 September 2016

These are experimental doodles drawn with flourescent highlighters. I drew in the highlights, leaving the paper alone for the shadows. When tilted at a certain angle, the negative effect is clear, but it wasn't until I photographed these sketches and inverted the colours in Photoshop that I got to see them as I had hoped they'd turn out all those years ago. It's a pretty neat effect!

29 September 2016

I've been drawing Star Wars imagery since the first movie came out in 1977 when I would have been all of five years old (turning six in October of that year).

Preliminary sketches for (abandoned?) puppet show.

That's right: I was going to make a William Shatner-as-Kirk hand-and-rod puppet and perform Shakespeare monologues with it. I figured performing this material would be easy, since I could sorta do a passable Shatner impression and memorization* wouldn't be an issue because I could refer to the script while being hidden from view myself. I thought I might take it around to various venues in Prince Edward County, singing for my supper, so to speak...maybe open for real performers...

I hadn't (and still haven't) built a puppet of this kind, but once the idea entered my head and I started sketching, I grew more excited about the proposed project. Will it ever happen? Who knows? The night is still young...

Jim Kirk–on...tour?

It had to be Shatner in his Captain Kirk costume from Star Trek for recognizability and for fun. Making this kind of hand puppet would allow for a pretty good likeness, depending on my sculpting/modelling skills, but I began to feel that a sock puppet alternative would allow for greater expression. I guess it depends on the puppeteer; a good one could "act" well with the original design.

The inner workings.

Not that this was necessary, but my excitement got the best of me and I did this funny but redundant drawing showing how my hand would operate his head. It did, however, show potential scale issues relative to hand size.

WTF?

I don't remember exactly what this was supposed to be or what it was for, but a friend sub-contracted me to conjure up an illustration of a very complex geometric structure for a project he was working on. I realized this in the end in the computer using CorelDraw, but this preliminary drawing helped me to figure out what the heck was going on with all those curved planes. It's pretty –and pretty interesting, actually.

*Normally, my terror of having to memorize anything for a performance would sabotage any attempt at such and I would fail, miserably. I'm more confident speaking in front of a crowd if I know the material very well (like telling a story from my life) or if I could refer to notes (or both!).

25 September 2016

I took the photo* this painting is based on while also on horseback, right behind this woman (our guide). It was my first (and, for now, last) time on horseback, but I enjoyed it immensely and I long to get back on the horse...literally and figuratively.

Not to be confused with this crossing, or these two other crossings (all of which are due for a re-do as oil paintings soon...probably with different names, this time, to minimize the crossings).

*Shot while in Banff during the same Wagons West road trip that this painting derives from.

22 September 2016

I've painted my wife, Krista, several times, with this painting being my favourite (or maybe this one ...or maybe this one), and her sister Caitlin has appeared in this large watercolour, but it's nice to have them both together here, overlooking a river in Banff National Park in Alberta.

I mention my concerted return to watercolour painting after an unplanned four year hiatus two posts ago, but this painting was actually the first one of the New 13 started and completed (the tractor was just the first on photographed well enough to post –even Rosebud got posted before this one).

21 September 2016

I knew ever since I first laid eyes on her that I would one day paint this cute little boat.

Now, with this watercolour, I've painted Rosebud three times: once in oils as part of my 33 on 33 plein air project, and once in inks as part of my County 101 painting marathon.

This one's my favourite because you can see the boat better than in the oil painting and this is in colour, where the ink painting, while based on the same photo, is in black & white. The water was still and like glass that day, providing perfect mirror-like reflections.